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Is it legal for the police to search my smartphone or tablet without a warrant?

The laws regarding when and if the police can search your phones are still being debated, state-by-state. While the laws vary depending on jurisdiction, and those laws are still emerging, the police can generally search anything in your pockets or on your person when you’re arrested, as well as items that are within your personal control, like purses, backpacks, and briefcases, says the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit group that works to protect digital privacy.